An Assessment of Multi-Party Elections in Post-Conflict Countries in Africa: The Case of Sierra Leone

Abstract

This study assesses how post-conflict countries in Africa fare when they transition into democracy through the vehicle of multi-party elections. The study, particularly, focuses on Sierra Leone which was ravaged by a protracted civil war which started in 1991 and lasted till 2002. Using a methodology that combines primary and secondary sources of data, the study seeks to answer four questions bordering on the nature of multi-party elections in post-conflict Sierra Leone; sociopolitical effects of multi-party elections in post-conflict Sierra Leone; challenges of multi-party elections in post-conflict Sierra Leone and the future of multi-party elections in post-conflict Sierra Leone. The findings show that Sierra Leone has been quite successful in maintaining its peace and stability through the conduct of multi-party elections. For example, multi-party elections have opened the space for all actors, including ex-combatants, to legitimately seek power. Quiet, significantly, the country has successfully conducted four general elections (2002; 2007; 2012 and 2018) which have resulted in the smooth transfer of power, from incumbent governments to opposition parties, on two occasions (2007 and 2018). Even though the study also found that there are some lingering challenges, particularly regarding high unemployment among the youth and low representation of women in governance, most people interviewed for the study remain optimistic that there are bright prospects for multi-party elections and multi-party democracy in Sierra Leone.